


Those Who Hunt Monsters

by Raziel12



Category: Final Fantasy XIII, RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-01-08 20:24:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raziel12/pseuds/Raziel12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darkness is coming. Every year, the Grimm grow stronger, faster, smarter, and more numerous. Someone needs to fight them. It's a good thing that Beacon is calling in some of its most famous graduates to teach the newest generation of huntsmen and huntresses. A Final Fantasy XIII x RWBY crossover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trailer - Black

**Trailer – Black**

Careless. She’d gotten so careless.

Blake put her book down on the table and locked eyes with the huntress walking toward her. For weeks after she’d left Adam behind, she’d lived looking over her shoulder. She’d been so certain that someone would come after her – either the authorities or other members of the White Fang. But no one had. Perhaps she had Adam to thank for keeping the White Fang off her back. Despite how things had ended between them, she wanted to believe that he still cared. As for the authorities, it was possible that they didn’t have enough information to identify and arrest her.

So she’d let her guard down, little by little. And now, in this quiet café, they’d finally caught up to her. Oh, they were good. They’d done everything so subtly. She’d chosen this café for a reason. It was quiet and secluded but still lively enough to make starting a fight a very unfavourable proposition for anyone acting on behalf of the authorities. She didn’t want to hurt anyone else, and she could easily slip away in the confusion any fight would cause.

But as she’d settled down with her book, she’d lost track of the people around her. It was a stupid mistake. And now, she was going to pay for her carelessness.

They must have emptied the café gradually – even engrossed in her book, she’d have noticed if everyone else left at the same time. If she had to guess, they’d probably spoken to management and evacuated the other customers one at a time until only Blake was left. She took a deep breath and reached for Gambol Shroud. She would fight if she had to. She couldn’t let it end here, not like this.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The huntress sauntered over, her blue sari brushing against a chair before she came to a stop at Blake’s table. “I didn’t come here looking for a fight.” She pulled a chair over and took a seat opposite Blake. “And even if you could beat me – which, I might say, is a really, really big if – you’d still never make it past my partner there.”

Blake stilled as another woman, one with pink hair, came out of the café’s kitchen with a freshly brewed pot of tea. To the untrained eye, she seemed nonchalant, but to Blake’s keen senses, she radiated a deadly calm. 

Who were these people? She should have been able to sense them long before they got this close, but she hadn’t felt a thing. Then it clicked. She knew them, almost everyone did. The woman across the table from her was Oerba Yun Fang, and the pink-haired woman was Lightning Farron. They were two of the most infamous huntresses in the world.

Slowly, Blake eased her hand away from Gambol Shroud. As much as it pained her to admit it, she was better off listening than trying to escape or pick a fight. All the same, she kept herself ready to burst into action. The door wasn’t that far. All she needed was an opportunity.

“Easy there. I told you, I’m not here to fight.” Fang snagged two teacups from a nearby table and flashed a winning smile at Lightning. The other woman rolled her eyes and poured tea into both cups before she took a seat at another table. Fang breathed in the smell of the freshly brewed tea and sighed. Blake did the same. It smelled wonderful. “See that? Lightning’s pretty handy to have around – and she makes a killer cup of tea.” 

The remark was met by a faint scowl and a blur of motion. Fang’s eyes never left Blake’s as she reached up to pluck the butter knife that Lightning had thrown at her head out of the air. 

“The trouble is that she’s got a bit of a temper on her.”

“Why are you here?” Blake asked. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, no matter how easy going Fang appeared. That knife had been thrown with enough force to send it right through the wall of café, and Fang had caught it like it was nothing. These two were dangerous.

“I cam here to talk, that’s all.” Fang tossed an amused glance at Lightning. “And she’s here to glare.” Right on cue, Lightning glared. Blake bit back a wince. That was one scary glare. “But don’t let that put you off, she’s actually quite cuddly once you get past all the death threats, blunt-force trauma, bullets, and pointy things.”

“I’m listening.” 

“Good.” Fang offered Blake one of the cups of tea. Blake took the cup but didn’t drink out of it. Fang chuckled and made a big show of drinking her own tea. “Look, we’re not going to poison you, kid. If we wanted to take you down, we’d do it the traditional way – with sharp things and property damage.” Her expression sobered, and Blake lifted the cup of tea to her lips to try and dull the sudden sharpness in Fang’s gaze. “We know who you are, Blake. We’ve known for a very long time.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Of course they knew her name. But that didn’t mean they could connect her to everything she’d done as a member of the White Fang.

Fang nodded, and Lightning passed her a sheaf of folders. The huntress spread them across the table and waited for Blake to pick one of them up. Blake peered into the folder and paled. They had a full dossier of her activities with the White Fang along with pictures of her on several of their raids.

“Those friends of yours like to make trouble, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“You should have worn a mask.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be honest with you, I can kind of see where the Faunus are coming from. You guys have a tough time of things. But that doesn’t justify everything the White Fang have done, not by a long shot. Heck, it doesn’t justify half of what you’ve done. Still, I’ve got to give the White Fang credit. To train someone like you – they know what they’re doing.” Fang pulled a scroll out. There were several videos of Blake in action. Fang smiled. “You’ve got some moves.”

“Thank you – I think.”

“So I get why you joined the White Fang. What I’m trying to work out is why you left them.” Fang took a sip of her tea. “Let me tell you what I think. I think that you didn’t agree with the way they were doing things. I think that even though you want equal rights for the Faunus, you’d rather be helping people instead of hurting them. Am I right?”

Blake took another sip of her tea. It was perfect. Then she counted to three. “And if you are? What does it matter? You clearly have enough to arrest me. We both know that. But we both also know that I’m not going to go quietly. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but there’s something I have to do.”

“You want to go to Beacon to become a huntress.”

“How do you know that?”

“Call it a lucky guess. Besides, what better way to help others and show that the Faunus can make a positive contribution to society?” Fang looked at Lightning. The other woman gave a small nod. “And I think I can help you with that.”

“How?”

“Amnesty.” Lightning stood and took a seat at their table. Her blue eyes burned into Blake’s. There had been nothing judgemental in Fang’s gaze, but there was nothing but judgement in Lightning’s. Lightning wanted to see right into Blake’s soul. Blake met the older woman’s eyes as best she could. “There’s something coming. Each year, there are more and more Grimm, and they’re getting stronger and faster and smarter. The only way we’re getting through this is if humans and Faunus can set aside their difference and fight together.”

“What we’re offering is very simple,” Fang said. “You never have anything to do with the White Fang or other organisations of that kind again. In exchange, we give you a clean slate and get you into Beacon.”

“You can do that?” It sounded too good to be true, and Blake had learned that when things sounded too good to be true, they usually were. Life was never that kind.

“We can.” Fang leaned back. “It’s a new initiative. You’d be the first, in fact, but hopefully not the last. Of course, there would be consequences if you went back on the deal. We’d have to hunt you down and take you apart piece by piece. But I don’t think it will come to that.”

“And if I don’t want to go to Beacon?”

“Then you don’t have to.” Fang sighed and waved one hand at Lightning. The other huntress handed over another folder. Blake looked inside it. There were identity documents there – enough for a new start. “Those will be enough to help you start again, if that’s what you want. You could take a nice job in an office, or maybe even become a librarian.”

“Why would you do this?” Blake’s hands tightened around the folder. People didn’t do things like this without a reason. There was always a reason. Nothing ever came for free.

“Because I know what it’s like to do bad things to help the people you call family. Because I know what it’s like to grow up with nothing.” Fang shrugged. “And because I’m sure that whatever you decide, you’re not going to hurt anyone unless you have no choice.” 

Something that could almost have been called hope flared in Blake’s chest. “How could you even get me into Beacon?”

“Lightning here is going to become a professor over at Beacon – head of the Advanced Combat and Tactics program. Guess who’s going to be her second-in-command?” Fang chuckled. “Besides, we’ve already run this past the headmaster. He’s a nice guy, actually. I think you’d like him. A little laid back, maybe, but he’s the best at what he does.”

“I haven’t gone to the other academies –”

“Not a problem,” Lightning said. “It’s possible to gain admittance to Beacon via recommendation. You’ll do.”

“You don’t have to give us your answer right away. You’ve got a few days, at least.” Fang stood, along with Lightning. “You can keep those files, by the way. We’ve got copies. But here, have this. It’s a ticket for an airship to Beacon.” They headed toward the door of the café, but Fang stopped at the door and turned. “You never noticed what we were doing, you were that interested in your book. Beacon has a very good library.”

Blake waited until the two were gone before she picked up the ticket. Was it really going to be that simple? She smiled. Maybe it was. As customers finally began to file back into the café, she gathered the folders and left. She had some shopping to do – there was no telling what she might need at Beacon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own Final Fantasy or RWBY. I’m not making any money off this either.
> 
> So, I said I’d get around to a Final Fantasy XIII and RWBY crossover, and here it is. As the title of this chapter suggests, there are going to be several “trailers” before we really get started. I plan on doing one for each of the RWBY girls, and you can expect appearances from Final Fantasy characters in those (most likely Final Fantasy XIII characters, but I’m not limiting myself to only Final Fantasy XIII).
> 
> I thought Fang would be the best person to approach Blake for this. There is a period in Blake’s past that still isn’t completely accounted for (the time immediately after she parts with Adam but before she comes to Beacon). How did she manage to get a recommendation into Beacon (since it seems safe to say that she didn’t attend one of the other academies)? This chapter offers one possible explanation.
> 
> Out of all the RWBY girls, Blake is often the most level headed and calm. Having someone personable like Fang approach her and make the offer of amnesty is a sound approach. Naturally, Lightning is there in case a sterner form of persuasion is required. Strangely enough, I do think Blake and Fang would get on very well (see e.g., how well Blake handles her teammates).
> 
> So, yeah, you can look forward to three more trailers (I haven’t decided on the order yet), and then we’ll get onto the proper chapters. In terms of straying from the timeline etc., it should be clear that there’s going to be a bit of that. This crossover is set primarily in the RWBY world but with the introduction of some Final Fantasy characters and concepts – some deviation is absolutely going to be necessary.
> 
> As an aside, I also write original fiction. If you’re interested in that, you can find a link in my profile.
> 
> As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	2. Trailer - White

**Trailer – White**

“How dare you!” Weiss clutched at her side where the blunted practice rapier had caught her across the ribs. Even with her aura, the force of the blow had almost brought tears to her eyes. None of her other combat tutors had ever dared to strike her like this before. She wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or excited. “I am the heiress of –” 

“You are nothing.” The blonde woman’s voice snapped out, cold and clinical. Another blow added to the sting, this one across her other side. “No, you are less than nothing because you still don’t understand how insignificant you are.”

“You cannot talk to me this way!” Weiss grabbed her rapier and lunged. The older woman parried her strike effortlessly and kicked her feet out from under her. Weiss crashed to the ground, and the blonde drove one boot into her gut. She slid across the floor of the practice hall and curled into a ball. 

“It should be obvious by now that you aren’t in a position to tell me what I can and cannot do.” The blonde favoured with Weiss with a sigh of disappointment and reached up to adjust her glasses. “I was told, little girl, that you were trained – that you were ready. I see now that your previous tutor was lying. You aren’t ready, not even close. You’re just a little girl playing at being a huntress. Go back to your dolls, little girl, your dolls and your family’s money.”

Weiss staggered back to her feet. How deeply those words cut – they hurt even more than the blows she’d taken. There was nothing in the world she feared more than being useless. She refused to be useless. She refused to be nothing more than a pretty face with a famous name. She’d prove to her father – to everyone – that she was more than worthy of being heiress. She wasn’t perfect yet. But one day, she would be.

“Who are you?”

The blonde smiled. “I already told you, or is your hearing as poor as your swordsmanship? I am Jihl Nabaat, your new combat tutor.”

A mere tutor would never have been able to see through her so easily. Weiss grit her teeth. “No, I didn’t mean your name. Who are you really?”

“Very good, perhaps you’re not worthless after all.” Jihl’s expression went from mocking to deadly serious. “I am a huntress, little girl, and I know what you want. You want to become a huntress because they have the only real power in the world. You have money. You have prestige. You have influence. But what do those things matter? Tell me, do you think they matter to the White Fang? No. All of that money, that prestige and influence, cannot change the simple, fundamental truth: if I wanted to, I could kill you where you stand. Those relatives of yours thought they were safe because of who they were, but you know better, don’t you? You know that who you are doesn’t make you safe, it’s what you can do that matters.”

Weiss stilled. 

“But a huntress, if you could become a huntress, think of all the things you could do. No one would ever be able to take from you what is yours. And your family’s company? Who better to protect it – to rule it – than a huntress? The White Fang fancy themselves as wolves preying on sheep, but you won’t be like the others, will you? You’re not a sheep. At least, you don’t want to be. And what is a wolf to a huntress? What is a wolf to one who hunts monsters? Nothing.”

“Yes… yes, that’s what I want.” Weiss stepped forward. The pain in her side was forgotten. For all the cruelty she’d already shown, Jihl understood.

“I was the same as you once, little girl.” Jihl circled Weiss slowly. In a flash of movement, her rapier flicked out. Weiss parried the first blow only to take the second across her shoulder. She dropped to her knees, and Jihl grabbed her by the arm and tossed her back like a sack of garbage.

Weiss summoned a glyph to break her fall and turned to meet the next assault. Jihl was frighteningly fast and utterly ruthless. The older woman pulled her blows just enough to keep them from crippling or killing, but that only served to drive home her point. Jihl was toying with her. The skills that Weiss had worked so hard for were nothing more than a joke to the older woman.

“The only way to learn – really learn – is to suffer. Only pain can burn the lessons you must learn into your mind and body.” Jihl rapped Weiss across the knuckles. The girl dropped her rapier with a hiss. “Consider this my first lesson: pain is a fact of life. You will never succeed until you learn to master it. Pick up your sword.”

Weiss picked her sword up and forced her aching hand to hold it steady. 

“Speed and precision are of utmost importance in a fight.” 

Jihl darted forward, and Weiss found herself dropping back beneath an intricate series of strikes. Suddenly, she found herself trapped against a pillar. Jihl’s rapier stabbed into the pillar beside Weiss’s head.

“Always be aware of your surroundings, and always have a plan. Simply charging into battle is foolishness of the highest order. You must always have a plan, and you must execute it without doubt or hesitation. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Then show me.”

Weiss attacked. Years of lessons had given her almost perfect form, but that meant nothing against Jihl. The older woman read her like a book, and each blow was either parried or dodged before a reply came with stinging accuracy and brutal force.

“You silly, little girl. This isn’t a dance. This is a fight.” Jihl laughed. “You’ve memorised the forms, but you’ve understood nothing. Elegance is not a path to victory – it is a consequence of victory. True elegance comes either from controlling the actions of the opponent completely or anticipating them perfectly. To do that, you must go beyond merely imitating the forms of combat. Only when you understand the rules will you be able to control and anticipate your opponent. Only then will you know when to follow the rules and when to break them.”

Weiss stumbled back. Jihl had punctuated each sentence with another strike. 

“You fight like a textbook, and a textbook can always be read in advance.” Jihl hammered away at Weiss’s left side only to switch, flowing seamlessly into an attack on her right side that utterly bypassed the parry that Weiss had planned. “Predictability means death.”

On and on it went until Weiss’s body was all but numb to the pain. Exhaustion swept over her. Jihl knew every style that she’d been taught, and she broke them down as they fought, reducing each style to its core principles and reinforcing her words with her rapier. Simple imitation of form was unacceptable. Jihl demanded understanding. Why was a particular strike parried in a certain way? Why should her feet be in a given position to deliver a riposte? Jihl asked her questions with her rapier, and she would accept no answer save that which Weiss could provide with her own weapon.

When it was finally over, Weiss slumped to the ground. Jihl’s lips curled.

“Look at you, and look at me. Which one of us is powerful, and which one of us is weak?”

Weiss found the energy to snarl.

“Good. You still have some fight left in you. You’ll need it.” Jihl turned on her heel. “I expect you back here at the same time tomorrow. Do not be late.”

Weiss wasn’t sure how long it took her to finally get back onto her feet. She stumbled to the door and called for one of her servants to help her back to her room. Her father was horrified when he discovered what had happened. He wanted to send Jihl away. He wanted to have the woman flogged. He wanted –

“No, father.” Weiss smiled coldly. “Let her stay. I’m not a little girl anymore. I know I have what it takes to lead our family. I refuse to be weak, and Jihl can make me strong.”

There was sadness and approval in her father’s eyes.

“I see.” He took a deep breath. “I know you will make me – our family – proud.”

For three years, Weiss studied under Jihl. It was three years of insults, mocking, pain, and constant, merciless attack. But Weiss would not break. And she learned. Oh, how she learned. She learned that there was beauty and elegance in battle, but not merely in flawless technique. Rather, true beauty and true elegance could only be found in the union of flawless technique with flawless understanding, both of her opponent and herself. 

Understanding opponents and herself meant learning as much as she could about all the tools she had at her disposal. She’d known how to use Dust for years. Jihl showed her how wield it with all the force of a sledgehammer or all the precision of a scalpel. 

Jihl accepted no excuses during their lessons and offered no quarter save what was necessary to keep Weiss from permanent injury. Yet, strange as it was, Weiss’s resentment faded. Jihl lied to her frequently, but not all the time. Jihl didn’t pretend to be her friend the way so many others did, nor did she pretend to care about the pain she inflicted. Jihl’s contempt – and regard – was often difficult to ascertain, but that too was a lesson. Deception was a powerful tool in battle, but it was powerful outside of battle as well. Weiss learned how to see through deception, and how to use it for herself.

Weiss came to understand the true nature of the authority she wielded. Others followed her because of her name. As heiress, they had no choice but to do as she asked. Yet as her skills grew, she found her servants looking upon her with new respect. She was no longer a girl in their eyes. She was a woman – one who could survive the brutal training regime that Jihl set.

Jihl wasn’t always there. Now and then, she would leave to deal with the Grimm in the surrounding area. But that didn’t mean that Weiss could slack off. No, Jihl expected her to study in her own time, and she expected constant improvement. Weiss had learned that the hard way. Once, she’d chosen to slack off when Jihl was gone. The older woman had beaten her so badly during their next training sessions that their first meeting had seemed like a holiday in comparison. Weiss had never slacked off again.

And Jihl was not without her moments of kindness, as rare as they were. It was Jihl who had helped Weiss select Myrtenaster.

“No student of mine will disgrace me by bringing an unfit weapon into combat.” Jihl sneered. “And at least this way, you cannot blame any failure on your weapon.”

At the end of those three years, Weiss defeated a gigantic suit of armour. It was the latest in a long line of tests. A few days later, Jihl called her to the practice hall where she had learned so much. 

“This will be our last lesson, Weiss.”

Weiss’s eyes widened. That was the first time that Jihl had ever used her name. “But… I passed your test. I –”

“Yes, you passed. That is why this will be our last lesson.” There was a flash of sadness in Jihl’s eyes, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had come. Her eyes hardened. “I’ve already made the arrangements. You will be attending Beacon.”

“Beacon!”

“Yes. To your credit, these last three years haven’t been a complete waste. But there are some things you can only learn for yourself, and you’re still so young. Besides, you have to learn to work as part of a team. There are some battles that cannot be fought alone. Believe me, I know.” Jihl raised her rapier in a salute. “Do your best at Beacon. There are powerful people there. Learn everything you can and remember all that I have taught you.”

Weiss saluted back. “I will.”

“One last time then.” Jihl took up her stance. “Show me what you’ve learned.”

Afterward, as Weiss lay exhausted on the ground, Jihl reached down to help her up. It was the first time that Jihl had ever bothered to help her up before.

Jihl tugged her close. “Don’t you dare fail at Beacon. I will not have it said that I wasted my time with you.” Then she was gone, pulling away and walking out of the hall. 

Weiss waited until Jihl had left before she began to laugh. That was probably the nicest thing that Jihl had ever said to her. She wasn’t stupid. She’d done her homework on Jihl. One of her professors at Beacon would likely be Lightning Farron, the huntress who had, quite famously, beaten Jihl in the largest tournament in Beacon’s history. 

Weiss would go to Beacon, and she’d be the best they’d ever seen. She’d do what even Jihl hadn’t been able to.

X X X

“I must admit, I never thought I’d see the day when you, of all people, recommended a student.”

Jihl scoffed. “Just make sure that you don’t ruin her, Lightning. She has potential.”

“She must, for you to speak so highly of her.” Lightning stared over her desk at the other woman. “You know, it almost seems like you care.”

“Perhaps I do.” Jihl got up to leave. “Make sure she’s ready when the time comes. I will be very, very disappointed if you undo all the hard work I’ve done.”

“Leaving? I still owe you a rematch.” 

“I know, but not today. I hate to take chances, and I still haven’t come up with a way of beating the annoying Semblance of yours. I’d call it cheating, but there’s no such thing as cheating in a battle between huntresses.”

“I see. Shall I keep you posted on her progress?”

“Yes.” Jihl paused at the door. “And one more thing. Don’t let her turn out like me.”

“I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

“And I think you’re giving me too much.” Jihl laughed softly, bitterly. “Fang was right – you are soft.” She opened the door. “Maybe next time, I’ll take you up on that rematch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own Final Fantasy or RWBY. I’m not making any money off this either.
> 
> Weiss is a fascinating character. At first glance, there’s no real reason for an heiress to push herself so hard, never mind become a huntress. Her family has enough money, influence, and power that she could do almost anything she wanted with her life. But during the series, it became clear that the actions of the White Fang had left a very strong impression on her.
> 
> And like many people from illustrious families, I think Weiss wants to set herself apart, to become worthy of her name. She fears being useless, and a huntress is the opposite of useless. She also fears being helpless. She’s seen for herself that there are some things that money and influence cannot stop. The only way to ensure her safety – and the safety of her family – is to become stronger, to become a huntress.
> 
> I came up with the idea of using Jihl in this chapter almost as soon as I decided I wanted to do the white trailer next. There is some real steel in Weiss’s spine under the haughty arrogance, but who – or what – could have put it there? I don’t think there’s anyone better than Jihl to beat some toughness into Weiss while still fostering that sense of superiority. 
> 
> On another note, I will be running a promotion for my original fiction this Saturday (18th January, Pacific Standard Time). On Saturday, The Last Huntress will be available from Amazon for free. You can find a link to it in my profile.
> 
> As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	3. Trailer - Yellow

**Trailer – Yellow**

Yang wasn’t sure what to expect. Beacon Academy was the most famous institute of its kind in the world. If she wanted to be the best – and she did – she needed to go there. Confidence wasn’t a problem. She knew that she was good enough to cut it with the cream of the crop. Heck, give her a few years and she’d be running the place!

But getting into Beacon wasn’t as simple as getting good grades although hers were more than good enough. There was the not-so-small matter of the practical exam. No one knew exactly what the exam involved since it was kept secret and apparently changed from year to year. All she had was a slip of paper telling her when and where her exam would be.

As she approached the large building where the exam would be held, she felt the first stirrings of unease. Confident or not, it was impossible to ignore all the people piled up in a makeshift infirmary. Most of them seemed to be around her age, so they had to be other people here for the exam. Quite a few of them looked like they’d been run over by a train.

“What happened here?” she ambled over to one of the beds. “Is this all from the exam?”

“The exam?” The boy on the bed shuddered and clutched at his stomach. “You bet it was the exam.” He winced and grabbed her arm. “If you’re here for the exam, be careful.”

“I will be.” Yang pulled away. Well, this was definitely different.

She waited near the entrance as, one by one, the exam supervisor at the door ushered people into the building. And one by one, people stumbled out looking very much like they’d been through the fight of their lives. One of the young men seemed to have lost most of his shirt while another didn’t even have any shoes left.

An almost feral smile crossed her lips. This was going to be fun. Finally, it was her turn. The exam supervisor waved her through the doors into the building. The door slammed shut behind her, and Yang found herself walking down a long corridor. Her senses were on high alert. They could be anywhere, just waiting for her to let her guard down.

Long moments passed in utter silence, and she eyed the end of the corridor. This was taking way too long. With a growl, she broke into a run. She kicked open the doors at the end of the corridor and emerged into an enormous, coliseum-like arena. Her eyes narrowed. This place was big enough to sit hundreds of people, but all of the seats were empty.

Actually, not all of them were empty. There were people sitting about halfway up. One of them was an older, dark-skinned man with an Afro. He had a pair of guns at his side. Was he going to be testing her? Next to him was a little boy. The similarities between them were unmistakable. Perhaps they were father and son. And on the other side of the little boy was, of all things, a chocobo chick.

The older man was watching her with a calm but serious expression while the boy grinned and waved. Clambering up into the boy’s lap, the chocobo seemed to be studying her closely. A shiver went up her spine. There was something unsettling about the chocobo, for all that it was tiny. It wasn’t just there to keep the boy company – it seemed to know and understand exactly what was going on.

“Uh…” Yang scratched the back of her head. What was she supposed to do now? The whole cloak-and-dagger secrecy thing kind of made it hard to get things going. “Am I in the right place?” It was a big building. “I’m here for the exam, but…”

“Well, you’re in the right place.” The dark-skinned man glanced down at his scroll. “You are Yang Xiao Long, right?

“I am.” Yang ran one hand through her hair. “So… when does the exam start? It’s supposed to be a practical exam, so I thought I might have to fight your or something. But you’re up there and, no offence, the kid’s cute and all, but he doesn’t seem like a threat. And the chocobo… yeah… not too scary either.”

The kid giggled, but the chocobo glared. 

“Oh, you’ll be fighting someone, all right. As for when the exams stars, it’s already started.”

“What –”

It was the boy who gave it away. He’d been looking at her this entire time, but then his eyes flicked past her – above her – to something, or someone, else. That was enough warning for her. Yang leapt forward, rolling away from the attack she knew would come.

There was a loud crunch, and the ground exploded, throwing her further back. She landed on her feet, skidding across the floor as she spun to see who her opponent would be. The older man hadn’t seemed the least bit threatening. That wasn’t the case with the person who emerged from the cloud of dust that billowed over the crater in the ground.

He was huge, easily the biggest man she’d ever seen. His blonde hair was a sharp contrast to the black clothing her wore, and his blue eyes were ice-cold. As for the crater he’d made, she frowned. He’d done that with nothing but his fist. The amount of aura that would have taken… and she hadn’t even noticed him behind her.

Yang took up a fighting stance, a smile slipping across her lips. She’d been hoping for a bit of challenge, and it looked like she was going to get one. This… this was going to be fun.

“So, I’m guessing you’re the one I have to fight.” Yang clenched her fists. Ember Celica slipped into place, the familiar weight of her gauntlets equal parts exciting and comforting. “I’m Yang Xiao Long, and I’m going to kick your ass.”

The blonde’s lips twitched at her words. “You’re definitely confident. Let’s see what you can do.”

Yang darted forward, leaping up to throwing a kick straight at his head before she spun effortlessly into another aimed at his side. He leaned away from the first and caught the second, flinging her back across the arena. She landed on her feet. He was fast for someone his size, but that was okay. She was faster, she was certain of it.

She charged, firing her gauntlets to boost her speed. He was too tall for her to easily reach his head with her fists, so she aimed her punches at his chest. He leaned away from a right cross and then slapped away a hook aimed at his side. One of her uppercuts managed to get within an inch of his chin. He hadn’t retaliated yet, so she poured on the speed, mixing some kicks in with her punches and augmenting each punch with a shot from Ember Celica.

And still she hadn’t managed to land a solid blow. Sure, he’d blocked a few times, but he’d shrugged off Ember Celica’s shots like they were nothing. She wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or just plain pissed off. She settled for pissed off. He wasn’t taking her seriously. In that case, she’d make him take her seriously. 

She upped the speed and force of her attacks again, flowing seamlessly for one strike to the next. He upped his own speed, but she refused to be outdone. There was no way that someone that big could be faster than her! Finally, she landed a clean hit, driving one fist straight into his gut and firing Ember Celica directly into his stomach. He slid backward, his feet tearing furrows into the ground. She paused. Had she actually managed to hurt him? 

Then he looked up, lips curving up ever so slightly at the edges. In a blur of motion, he lunged forward and threw a punch straight at her head. She barely managed to get her arms up in time to block, but it hardly seemed to matter. Ember Celica rattled beneath the force of the blow and a deep shudder ran through her before she hurtled back, slamming into the wall of the arena with enough force to crack it. 

She dropped to the ground, cursing as she found her feet again. Damn, he hit hard.

“Was that all you’ve got?” He raised one eyebrow. “I thought you’d have more. Weren’t you going to kick my ass?”

“I am.” Yang growled. She was done holding back. It was time to do what she did best: kick ass and take names. She roared, her eyes changing colour as she unleashed her Semblance. Flame billowed around her. She’d show him what she could do.

This time, jets of flame joined her punches and kicks and the shots of her gauntlets. His eyes widened a fraction before he began to give ground, forced back by the sheer heat of her attacks. The ground at their feet began to glow faintly, and a stray blast left a trail of molten stone in its wake. But still she couldn’t hit him. 

Yang’s irritation grew, and with it the heat of her fire. She became a whirling dervish of fists and flame. She needed an opening – and there it was! She gathered as much of her flame as she could into her fist and drove a punch straight at his sternum. With the addition of her gauntlet’s firepower, it didn’t matter how much aura he had. He’d definitely feel this.

Things didn’t quite work out that way.

There was a flash of light as he caught her fist in one of his hands and then a rush of steam. Yang strained against his grip and then stilled as a biting cold dug into her flesh through the metal of her gauntlets. She looked down. Ice had begun to form on Ember Celica while the ground beneath them was already coated in a thick sheen of ice. She yelped and tugged her hand free, flipping away to put distance between them. Her Semblance flared to ward off the sudden chill that had fallen over the arena.

“That’s a nice Semblance that you’ve got there.” He smiled. “Fire?”

Yang found herself smiling back. The smile on his face now was a real one, wide and warm and friendly. Had his serious mood before been nothing more than an act? Maybe, since the smile on his face certainly seemed to suit him better than a frown. There was no mistaking the mirth in his eyes either.

“And your Semblance is ice, isn’t it?” Yang laughed. “How convenient.” 

“It does fit with my name.” He relaxed slightly. Little wisps of frosts fluttered through the air around him. “I’m Snow Villiers.”

Wait… she knew that name. Ruby kept track of all the most famous huntsmen and huntresses. She’d seen Snow in some of the magazines Ruby read. He was supposed to be very good. No wonder, they’d sent him to do the evaluation. That might also explain the small army of walking wounded outside too. He packed a punch.

“So... how many people have you passed so far?”

“Not many.” Snow slipped back into a fighting stance. “But I’m starting to think you’ll be one of them.”

Yang grinned back. “I will be.”

They fought for another fifteen minutes, and they were fifteen of the most enjoyable minutes of Yang’s life. Snow was exceptional at hand-to-hand combat. His strength and size combined with his speed and Semblance made him a deadly opponent. Even better, she didn’t have to worry about holding back like she normally did when sparring. She could throw everything she had at him without worrying about hurting him.

It was fun.

By the time they were finished, the floor and walls of the arena were covered in scorch marks, craters, and ice. They’d even destroyed some of the seating, although they’d both been careful to avoid harming the people watching them. Finally, Snow held one hand up.

“That’s enough.”

Yang lowered her fists and smirked. “So, do I pass?”

“In my book, you do. But it’s not up to just me.” Snow glanced up at the dark-skinned man. “Those three there have been evaluating you too.” 

Yang gaped. “Seriously?” The older man she could understand, but the kid and the chocobo? That was crazy.

“Don’t underestimate them. Sazh is a huntsman too.”

“I guess…”

“And Dajh and Chirpy have been watching all day.”

“Right…” Yang wasn’t feeling too reassured by that.

“Okay, let’s see.” Sazh glanced down at his scroll. “You’ve shown an outstanding level of physical ability. You’re strong, you’re fast, and you’re tough. You’re also very good at hand-to-hand combat, and you’ve shown the ability to adapt on the fly. That Semblance of yours isn’t half bad either. However… you are a little bit impetuous, and your preferred method of fighting appears to be to punch things until they can’t get up anymore.” He smiled. “All things considered, I think you did very well.” He lifted up a scorecard. “You get a 9/10 from me.”

The little boy, Dajh, gave her two thumbs up. “She was awesome daddy.” He fumbled for a scorecard. “10/10.”

“Uh… yay?” Yang supposed this was a good thing. 19/20 wasn’t bad.

The little chocobo hopped off Dajh’s lap and struggled to raise his scorecard. “Kweh.”

It was a 1/10.

“Are you kidding?” Yang jabbed one finger at the chocobo. “I was awesome, and you know it!”

The chocobo let loose an extended series of chirps, none of which made any sense to Yang, but which brought a grin to Sazh’s face.

“What’s he saying?” Yang demanded.

Sazh bit back a laugh. “He’s saying that he’ll take you on anytime, anywhere.”

“Really?” Yang bared her teeth. “Get down here, birdy.”

The chocobo actually managed to get a few steps before Dajh scooped him up. The little boy patted the bird on the head. “Don’t be mean, Chirpy. You have to be fair.”

“Kweh.” The chocobo somehow managed to pout before lifting another scorecard. It was a 2/10. Yang growled. 

“Chirpy…”

“Kweh.” The chocobo sighed and lifted one more scorecard. Yang relaxed. A 9/10 was much better.

“That’s better.” Yang looked back at Snow. “Those scores don’t really mean anything, do they?”

Snow laughed. “Sazh’s does. Chirpy and Dajh are just here to watch. Plus, we get to see how people handle surprises.” He nodded at the far end of the arena. “Take that door over there. Sazh has already let them know you passed. Someone there will help you with all the paperwork. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Yang grinned and then paused. She was forgetting something… wait! “Hey, you’re famous, right?”

“Pretty famous, I guess.” Snow shrugged. 

“My sister really, really wants to be a huntress. Do you think I could get your autograph for her and maybe Sazh’s too? You can make them out to Ruby.”

“Ruby?” Snow pursed his lips. “I swear Lightning mentioned someone named Ruby, or was it Serah? Never mind.” He looked back at Yang. “We’d be happy to.”

X X X

Ruby was overjoyed when she found out that Yang passed, but she was even happier when Yang presented her with several autographed photos. The Sazh Katzroy and Snow Villiers autographed photos went straight into her collection along with the signed photos from Dajh and Chirpy.

“You actually got to fight Snow Villiers?” Ruby practically squealed. “That is so awesome. Plus, you get to go to Beacon! You’re so lucky.”

“Well, I am pretty awesome.” Yang grinned. 

“And the chocobo picked a fight with you?” Ruby giggled. “I wish I could have seen that.”

“If he was bigger and breathed fire, I might be worried. But I can handle one chocobo chick.”

“I’m sure you can.” Ruby threw her arms around Yang. “Congratulations, and thanks so much for the presents.”

Yang hugged her little sister back. Yep, she was the best big sister ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I don’t own Final Fantasy or RWBY. I’m also not making any money off of this.
> 
> This chapter has a slightly different feel to it from the others, but I think that is mostly due to the characters involved. Yang is just a really sunny sort of person and so is Snow. Throw in Sazh, Dajh, and their pet chocobo and you have a recipe for a more carefree chapter than anything involving Blake or Weiss.
> 
> That said, this version of the RWBY world demands a more demanding exam to get into Beacon, and that’s what Snow and Sazh delivered. Who better to assess the qualities of a prospective huntsman or huntress than an experienced huntsman or huntress? And although Snow is actually quite a nice guy, his size means that he can certainly look scary if he wants to. Still, I do think that Yang and Snow would get along quite well. They’d be good friends.
> 
> This is the third trailer, meaning that there is only one left: Ruby’s. That should be interesting. I’m currently mulling over who will appear in that, but Snow does give a bit of a clue.
> 
> Finally, I also write original fiction, a lot of which is fantasy. If you enjoy my fan fiction, I’m sure you’ll enjoy my original fiction too. You can find links to it in my profile, and I’ve just released my first novel-length story, Durendal, on Amazon.
> 
> As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	4. Trailer - Red

**Trailer – Red**

Ruby was lost. She knew she shouldn’t have gone wandering in the woods, but she hadn’t meant to go very far. She was just going to have a quick look around and then go home. But then she’d taken a wrong turn or four, and now she had no idea where she was. She’d tried calling for Yang, but she must have gotten even more lost than she thought since her sister hadn’t come to get her.

Oh, she was in so, so, so much trouble.

To make things even worse, the sun was going down. Ruby was only seven years old, but even she knew that getting lost in the forest at night was a bad thing. There were monsters here – monsters that wouldn’t think twice about killing someone like her. If only she was a huntress. Her small fists clenched. She’d seen them on television and in magazines. She wanted to be strong like they were – strong enough to protect everyone.

But she was still only a kid, even if Yang always told her that she’d become a huntress one day because she was too stubborn to give up and become something else. Yang had promised to become a huntress too, and the two of them would have their own team and everything. It would be great.

A howl burst from the woods behind her, and Ruby froze. Was that a Beowolf? Trembling, she turned around. White bone streaked with red gleamed in the setting sun. It wasn’t a Beowolf. It was four Beowolves. The largest of the lupine creatures stepped forward with a low growl, and Ruby turned and ran as fast as she could.

She could barely hear her own breathing and the pounding of her heart over the crash of the monsters through the forest behind her. They were right behind her, so close that she could almost feel their claws ripping into the air near her head and back. Her foot caught on a tree root buried under some leaves, and she tripped.

Ruby hit the ground hard, her breath rushing out of her, and scrambled to her haunches as the first of the Beowolves reached her. The monster reared up, claws drawn back to tear her apart. She was never going to become a huntress. She was going to die here, and her family wouldn’t even know what had happened and –

Suddenly, she was on the opposite side of the clearing. 

“You shouldn’t be here at this time of day.”

Ruby blinked. Someone was carrying her. She looked up. It was a young woman with pink hair and blue eyes that seemed almost to glow in the gathering dark. Amazing. Ruby hadn’t even noticed her until she’d grabbed Ruby and somehow gotten her away from the monsters in the blink of an eye. Ruby had never met anyone so fast before. Slowly, the woman put her down.

“Stay there.” The woman’s voice was gentle yet firm. Ruby nodded and then began to tremble. Maybe it was because of how close she’d come to death, but she couldn’t stop shaking. She was so cold. The woman’s eyes softened ever so slightly, and she took off the red cape she wore and wrapped it around Ruby. “Here, wear this.” Her lips twitched. “Red looks good on you. Now, stand back. Let me handle them.”

“Are you a huntress?” Ruby stared as the woman drew her weapon. It was a gun blade. She’d never seen one from this close before. 

“I am.” The woman’s gaze drifted back to the Beowolves. More of them had come, perhaps two dozen in all. “Don’t worry. This won’t take long.”

It didn’t.

The woman blurred into motion, blazing forward with a speed that Ruby couldn’t even follow with her eyes. Something inside her quivered, jostling to the very edges of her awareness. One day, Ruby thought, she’d be that fast. 

And then the woman was everywhere, and the Beowolves were dying. One moment, the woman was hacking a Beowolf to pieces and then she was soaring through the air to drive her blade through the chest of another. They closed in on her and tried to box her in. The blade became a gun, and the forest was filled with the staccato of gunfire as the woman downed monster after monster. 

In what felt like no time at all, there was only one Beowolf left. The woman cut its head from its body and let its massive frame crash to the ground. She was the most beautiful thing that Ruby had ever seen, her blade still extended in the follow through of that final strike and the area around her littered with the carnage she’d wrought.

“It’s safe now.” The woman knelt down so that she could meet Ruby’s gaze. “So, what’s your name?”

“I’m Ruby! And I want to become a huntress!”

“You do? Why?” The woman didn’t ask the question like all the other adults did. She asked like she really wanted to know.

Ruby beamed. “Because then I can be like all those heroes in the books. I can be someone who fights for what is right and protects people who can’t protect themselves! Just like how you protected me!”

“Well, Ruby, I think that’s a very good reason. It’s almost the same reason for why I became a huntress.” The woman picked Ruby up and leapt into the trees. “Hold on tight. I don’t know how you managed to wander so far from town, but I can get us back there easily enough.”

“Wait, what’s your name?” Ruby clutched onto the woman. They were going so fast!

“Lightning.” 

X X X

Ruby didn’t know exactly how she’d gotten caught up in this mess. One moment she’d been in a store reading a magazine, and then she was up on the roof of a building dodging pillars of flame from a rogue huntress as henchmen poured into the area. Probably the only reason she wasn’t already dead or seriously injured was because of the huntress she’d run into on the rooftop.

The blonde huntress wasn’t nearly as friendly as the huntress Ruby had met when she was a kid. In fact, she seemed rather annoyed by Ruby.

“You need to get out of here.” The huntress flicked her riding crop at a group of henchmen. A wave of icy shards hurtled into them, driving them back. “This is no place for a child.”

“I’m not a child.” Ruby smacked one henchman over the head with her scythe and then swung herself around it to kick another in the chest. A shot of her scythe sent her up into the air, and she spun, twisting herself on the way down to slash at a few more henchmen before she was forced to throw herself to the ground to dodge another blast of energy from the huntress.

“Do you have any concept of tactics, or do you just make it all up as you go along?” The blonde scowled, reaching up to adjust her glasses. 

“I kind of make most of it up.” Ruby shrugged. “It’s worked so far, right?”

The huntress made a disgusted sound. “You’ve been lucky so far. Well, since we’re stuck together, we need to work together. Follow my lead.”

“What’s your name then? I’m Ruby.”

“This is hardly the time.” The blonde ducked under a sword, and a bolt of energy flung her attacker off the roof. “But if you must know, I’m Glynda Goodwitch.”

“Really? Awesome.” Ruby darted over to the huntress and unleashed her puppy-dog eyes. “Do you think I could get an autograph? I – gah!” She dodged to the side and then vanished in a burst of rose petals. “Wow, that guy almost got me.” She dropped the guy in question with her scythe and then turned to face the edge of the roof. More of them were coming. Was this some kind of joke? They must have taken out at least two or three dozen of them by now. Where were they all coming from?

“Focus, Ruby. I’ve already called for back up. They should arrive in a few minutes, and then we can take all of them in for questioning. A rogue huntress is not something that can be ignored.”

“Right.” Ruby had heard of rogue huntress before, but tonight had been her first time meeting one. Whoever she was, she was powerful. She’d practically blown the roof apart with a few shots.

The next few minutes passed by in a haze of combat as they fought off the henchman. The henchmen weren’t nearly as good as she was, but they seemed to come from everywhere. Ruby had never fought beside someone like Glynda either, so she had to worry about getting in the huntress’s way and fighting off the henchmen.

But fight them off she did. She pushed herself to fight harder and faster, using her Semblance to up her speed until she could ward off their blows and keep an eye on the huntress at the same time. Glynda was clearly better suited to fighting at range, so it was up to Ruby to keep the henchmen away from her.

It was working too. Ruby would drive the henchmen back, and then Glynda would blow them away with some kind of area-of-effect attack. The only thing Ruby had to watch out for were henchmen climbing up the roof behind them. When that happened, she needed to turn and squeeze off a few round with her weapon before she went back to fighting the ones in front of her.

Finally, their back up arrived.

Ruby recognised her immediately: pink hair, blue eyes, and every bit as fast as her namesake. Lightning’s arrival turned the battle completely in their favour, and it wasn’t long before the police arrived to arrest all of the downed henchmen. Hopefully, they’d learn something useful from one of them.

“Hey!” Ruby bounded over to Lightning. “Long time, no see!”

Lightning stared.

Oh. Had Lightning forgotten her? Then again… Lightning had probably saved lots of people over the years and –

“Ruby?” Lightning’s eyes widened a fraction. “You’ve grown up, I see.” She nodded at Ruby’s cloak. “Red still looks good on you.”

“Yay! You remembered me!” Ruby grinned and latched onto Lightning’s arm. The huntress twitched. “Did you know that I’m studying at Signal Academy? I’m going to become a huntress just like I promised and…”

X X X

“She is an irresponsible child. She was lucky to survive tonight.”

“What do you think, Lightning?” Ozpin asked.

“She is a little rough around the edges, but she is good – very good.”

“So what would you suggest?” Ozpin took a sip out of his mug.

“Bring her to Beacon.”

“What?” Glynda shot to her feet. The three of them were discussing Ruby while the girl remained in one of the questioning rooms. “She’s too young. She’s still a child.”

“Young or not, she is good enough. And we don’t have the luxury of turning away people who are good enough.” Lightning sighed and leaned back in her chair. She was tempted to take a cookie off the plate of cookies that Ozpin had brought, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of once again appealing to her sweet tooth. “Her sister has already been accepted, and I have several candidates that I think she could form a good team with.”

“You think that highly of her?” Glydna’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “But she acts like she hasn’t seen you in years. What have you been doing, Lightning? And why did you pretend to not recognise her on the roof?”

“I met her when she was young. She was interesting, and I wanted to see how far she could get, so I’ve been having a few people keep tabs on her. As for the roof – it’s one thing to see someone in a picture, quite another to see them in person. Besides, I didn’t want her to know that I’ve been keeping tabs on her.” Lightning stood. “I’m leaving now. There are a few of them that are refusing to talk. I intend to change that. Cinder Fall cannot be allow to move around unchallenged. As for Ruby, I’ll leave that decision in your hands, Ozpin.”

Glynda folded her arms over her chest. “What about Fang? Has she had any luck discovering what Cinder Fall is after?”

“Not yet. But you know Fang. She’ll find out – one way or the other.”

“Yes, she will. And your sister?”

“Serah is still looking into a few things. We’ve already recruited one defector from the White Fang. We’re hopeful that we can pick up a few more.” Lightning paused and then handed Glynda something. It was an autographed picture of Lightning. “Give this to Ruby. My sources tell me that she has quite the collection.” She glanced at Ozpin. “It can be a present for getting into Beacon.”

The man chuckled softly. “You know me too well, Lightning.”

Glynda took a deep breath. “So you are going to invite her to Beacon.”

“Yes, I think it would be good.” Ozpin’s lips twitched. “But since you are feeling so aggravated with her, feel free to go in there and scare her for a while. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Glynda smirked. “Good. Hopefully I can get her to think twice before she throws herself into another fight between huntresses.”

X X X

Ruby was overjoyed to find out that she was being invited to join Beacon. She was even more overjoyed when she got Lightning’s autographed picture. When Ozpin added his own autographed picture and made Glynda give one of hers too, the verdict became official: this was the best day ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own Final Fantasy or RWBY. I’m not making any money off of this either.
> 
> Once again, I’ve opted to go for a slightly different tone to this chapter compared to the others. Ruby is, by far, the most idealistic member of Team RWBY. Yang is too pragmatic and both Weiss and Blake are too jaded (each in their own way). But Ruby… Ruby still believes that the purpose of a huntress is to protect the weak and do the right thing.
> 
> I know some of you were hoping to see Serah and Vanille (and you will see them in this story, don’t worry), but I had to go with Lightning here. There were several reasons for that. The first is purely visual. I’ve always kind of wondered why Ruby wears a red cloak. In this story, she wears one because of Lightning. Her encounter with Lightning has also reinforced her reasons for being a huntress. She was saved by a huntress, and now she wants to save others.
> 
> Why would Lightning keep an eye on Ruby? Lightning was telling the truth. She was interested in Ruby’s enthusiasm and wanted to see how she went. Not surprisingly, she ends up recommending Ruby for Beacon. Lightning knows what’s coming, and she knows that they need every huntress they can get. Besides, she has already scouted potential teams for Ruby, and she knows the girl can fit in.
> 
> I also write original fiction, mostly fantasy. You can find links to it in my profile. If you want to give my original fiction a try, then mark this Friday (4th July, Pacific Standard Time) down on your calendar because this Friday, you can pick up The Last Huntress for free from Amazon! There is a link to it in my profile, but I’ll post a bigger link to it on the day. You can find the blurb in my profile.
> 
> As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


	5. Initiation

**Chapter One: Initiation**

Ozpin folded his hands together on his desk and raised one eyebrow. “I daresay that your proposal for the initiation is a little extreme, don’t you think, Lightning?”

Lightning met his gaze evenly. Ozpin could seem laidback, even careless at times, but his grasp of tactics and strategy was virtually unmatched. “You want me to make them the best huntsmen and huntresses possible as quickly as I can. To do that, I need an accurate assessment of their abilities in as realistic a situation as possible.” 

“All of the students have already been evaluated,” Ozpin replied. “You know that. Were those evaluation insufficient?”

“We both know that those evaluations took place under highly controlled conditions – conditions that do not accurately reflect the conditions in the field. Each year, we find ourselves under greater pressure. The Grimm are growing stronger and more numerous. I don’t like sending children onto the battlefield any more than you do, but we don’t have a choice. The least we can do is ensure that they are properly prepared.”

Ozpin reached up to adjust his glasses. “And our standard initiation procedure would not have sufficed? It’s been considered quite challenging for some time now.”

“It is better than most tests,” Lightning conceded. Her eyes narrowed. “But simply catapulting students into the forest after warning them what to expect is still highly artificial. The students will not feel the kind of pressure that I want them to feel.” She paused. “Ozpin, you know better than anyone that the path to becoming a true huntsman or huntress is not easy. It calls for sacrifice and hardship. I can help them along that path – but it will not be without pain. It is better for them to realise what is required them now rather than later.”

“And if they break?” Ozpin asked. “The catapults made it easier for us to rig the teams based on our psychological profiles and analyses. An ordeal of the kind you’re suggesting is not something that first year students will be able to cope with alone. Any psychological damage they take now may have grave consequences in the future.”

“I am well aware of that.” Lightning handed him a scroll. “Here are the details of my proposed changes to the travel schedules of the incoming students, along with steps that could be taken to ensure the formation of suitable teams. It will be tough, Ozpin, but it should also encourage the formation of closer teams.”

“I see.” Ozpin skimmed over her suggestions. As usual, Lightning had left nothing to chance. “You’ve given this a great deal of thought.”

“I have.” Lightning gazed out the window of his office, tracking the flight of a distant transport through the sky. She looked back at him. “I know what the stakes are, Ozpin. You called me back because you need more soldiers, and you trust me to deliver them. So trust me when I say that this is for the best.”

“Very well.” Ozpin nodded. “I will leave it in your hands. Do what you must. But, Lightning, don’t forget, they are still children even if they will one day be our soldiers.”

Lightning stood and headed toward the door. “I will no forget that.”

X X X

“This is a complete disgrace. I booked a private cabin. I have no idea why I have to share one with…”

“Go ahead.” Yang smiled toothily at the white-haired young woman sitting on the other side of the cabin. “Finish that sentence. I dare you.”

Honestly, Yang wasn’t pleased about sharing a cabin either, but several transports at the interchange had suffered mechanical problems. Their passengers had been put on the remaining transports, which meant that everybody had to share a cabin with someone else. At least she had Ruby with her – but she also had to deal with a stuck up, rich girl and a silent brunette who seemed torn between reading her book and wanting to beat the aforementioned rich girl over the head with it.

The only person who didn’t mind the situation was Ruby. The younger girl was pressed against the window, taking in every detail of the scenery below and babbling about how awesome it all was. It was adorable, really.

“Are you threatening me?” the rich girl replied. “Because if you are, I’ll have you know that I’m Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, and –”

Yang scowled. “Listen, I don’t care if you’re an heiress.” She lifted her hands and activated Ember Celica. “I can still kick your ass, which is what I’m going to do if you don’t stop complaining about everything.”

The heiress’s eyes narrowed. Yang smirked. What was she going to do? The answer came a moment later. There was a flash of movement, and then a rapier was at Yang’s throat. The blonde stared down the length of the blade and frowned. She’d expected the other girl to have some skill with the blade – only an idiot would have walked around with a weapon they couldn’t use – but this was a lot more than some skill. There had been no wasted motion in the draw and no hesitation either. The heiress wasn’t just trained – she must be experienced too.

“The fact that I am an heiress is not the reason you shouldn’t threaten me.” Something hard shimmered in Weiss’s eyes. “No, the reason you shouldn’t threaten is because I don’t respond well to threats, and I know exactly how to deal with people like you.”

The brunette glanced up from her book, and Yang met her gaze for a split-second. The brunette was calm but ready, her amber eyes watching everything intently. Yang wasn’t fooled by her relaxed posture either. When she’d walked into the cabin, Yang hadn’t even heard her come in. No one was that quiet expect for an experienced warrior. The brunette looked away, but not before flicking her wrist out. A ribbon ending in a scythe-like weapon wrapped around Weiss’s rapier.

“You should be more careful before telling people who you are,” the brunette said, going back to her book. “The Schnee family is not popular everywhere.”

“And what would you know about that?” Weiss lifted her chin. “Who are you?”

The brunette flicked her wrist and called her weapon back to her. “Blake – Blake Belladonna. And it isn’t exactly a secret that the Schnee family does not treat its Faunus workers well.”

“Those Faunus should feel lucky that we employ them after how many Faunus have tried to kill member of my family –”

“Yay! We’re finally talking to each other!” Ruby cried. Then, to Yang’s utter disbelief, she whipped out her scythe and waved it around, smiling from ear-to-ear. “And we even showed each other our weapons. Here is mine. Her name is Crescent Rose.” Weiss and Blake were both staring at Ruby now. “Oh, and I’m Ruby Rose. That’s my older sister, Yang Xiao Long.” 

“Are you serious?” Weiss and Blake said at the same time before scowling at each other.

“Yeah.” Ruby laughed. “Come on. We’ve got hours until we reach Beacon, so wouldn’t it be better if we at least tried to get to know each other? I mean we’re all first years. We might even end up on the same team. We’ll almost definitely share some classes. Beacon is supposed to be really tough. Having some friends should help.”

Blake was the first person to recover. “You are… very naïve.” She smiled faintly. “But I suppose it’s to be expected. You’re younger than all of us – too young, I would think, to get into Beacon. How did you admitted?”

Ruby scratched the back of her head and gave a nervous laugh. Weiss pursed her lips, and Yang could practically hear the gears turning in her head. People didn’t get into Beacon by accident. To be admitted at such a young age, Ruby was either extremely well connected or extremely talented. Given that Weiss didn’t know her, the heiress would probably conclude that it was the latter. 

“Yes,” Weiss said, sheathing her weapon. Yang noted the calluses on her hands. The heiress was clearly not afraid of hard work despite how she dressed and acted – then again Ruby wore a dress into battle too. “There are three main ways to get into Beacon: graduate from one of the feeder academies and pass the admission test, take a special exam administered by one of Beacon’s representatives, or receive a personal recommendation from a huntsman or huntress of sufficiently high standing. There aren’t a lot of huntsmen or huntresses with that kind of influence, Ruby.” 

“Well… I kind of…” Ruby blurted the next words out. “Got involved in this super big fight against some really bad people with Professor Goodwitch and Professor Farron and –” The rest of the story came out in a hurry that left Weiss and Blake shaking their heads. Yang chuckled. Ruby often had that effect on people.

“You got recommendations from both Professor Goodwitch and Professor Farron?” Weiss leaned back in her chair. “That’s just… I don’t even…”

“Actually, I think it was just Professor Farron. Professor Goodwitch seemed pretty mad at me.” Ruby shuddered. “She’s really scary.”

“I see.” Weiss took a deep breath. “Then you must be quite capable. My tutor knew Professor Farron very well. Her standards are said to be extremely high.” Her eyes locked onto Ruby’s scythe. “That scythe of yours is not an easy weapon to wield. I can think of only one other person who uses a weapon like that.” She glanced at Yang and Blake. “How about you two? How did you get into Beacon? I received a recommendation from my tutor.”

“I received a personal recommendation.” Blake paused, and Yang caught a flicker of indecision in her eyes. What didn’t she want them to know? “From Oerba Yun Fang and Lightning Farron.”

“Wow.” Yang grinned. “That’s pretty cool. It makes me sound kind of normal too. I went through Signal and took one of the admission tests. I mean it was a little weird – I got graded by a guy with an Afro, his kid, and a chocobo chick.”

Weiss gaped. “Could you repeat that?”

“Yeah. A guy with an Afro, his kid, and a chocobo chick.” Yang shrugged. “The actual guy I had to fight was Snow Villiers. Man, he was tough.”

“Odd,” Blake murmured. “Doesn’t it seem a bit unusual that all of us to have some kind of connection to Professor Farron? She’s going to be the head of Advanced Combat and Tactics.”

“You’re well informed,” Weiss replied. “But how is Yang connected to Professor Farron?”

“Snow Villiers is with her younger sister, Serah,” Ruby said. She blushed as Weiss stared at her. “What? It was in some of the magazines I read.”

“In any case,” Blake said. “Don’t you find it unusual that all four of us were assigned the same cabin and that so many transports suffered mechanical failure at the same time? Every passenger on this transport is a new student at Beacon. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“It does sound strange when you put it like that.” Yang frowned. “What do you think is going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Blake said. “But I’d keep my guard up if I were you.”

“Yes,” Weiss agreed. “But the initiation isn’t scheduled until the day after we arrive at Beacon. What could they be doing?” 

“Maybe it’s a bonding exercise.” Ruby shrugged. “Maybe they want all of to be friends, and they’re seeing if we can get along or not. I know that we haven’t been put on teams or anything yet, so they could be seeing who might fit together and –”

BOOM.

An explosion rocked the transport and the air was split by dozens of alarms. Red lights flashed overhead. All four of them were on their feet in an instant, weapons in hand.

“What the hell was that?” Yang growled. She moved to stand next to Ruby. “Was that an explosion?”

“It sounded like one.” Weiss peeked outside the door. Alarms were ringing and red lights were flashing there too. Some of the other students had also left their cabins to look around. They appeared to be as confused as she was. “Are we under attack? It’s been years since the Grimm brought down a transport in this area.”

“Something’s wrong.” Blake sniffed the air. “I smell smoke.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t smell anything…” Yang trailed off as the scent of smoke finally reached her. “You’re right. And where there’s smoke…”

“There’s fire.” Blake’s amber eyes narrowed. “This is bad.”

“Attention, passengers,” the pilot said over the intercom. “We have suffered critical damage to our engines. We will not be able to maintain flight. I repeat: we will not be able to maintain flight. All passengers are urged to evacuate the transport via the evacuation pods nearest their cabins.”

“This is crazy.” Yang put one arm around Ruby. “Come on. We need to get out of here before this thing crashes.”

Their evacuation pods were in the corridor right outside their cabin. But there was a problem: each pod only had room for one passenger.

“This isn’t right.” Blake studied the open pod in front of her. “Standard-issue pods sit at least four people.”

“Does it matter?” Yang’s fists clenched as more smoke filled the corridor. “We can’t stay here. If this thing goes down with us in it…”

“Agreed.” Weiss opened the other pods. “Our first priority should be getting off this transport in one piece. The pilots should have sent a distress call out, and it is standard protocol to track transports. When we don’t show up on time, they’ll send a search party out for us.”

“Right.” Ruby pulled Yang into a hug. “I’ll take that pod. You can take the one next to me, and we’ll meet up on the ground.”

“Okay.” Yang took a deep breath. She hated the thought of being separated from Ruby in a situation like this, but the pods were only big enough to fit one person each. “But you be careful. Don’t do anything crazy. I’ll find you no matter what.” She kissed Ruby’s forehead. “Pull the release lever in ten seconds. We should land pretty close together.”

Yang climbed into her pod, locked herself into the safety harness, and waited ten seconds before pulling the release lever. The pod dropped out of the transport, and she cursed as it jerked back and forth, throwing her around like a ragdoll. The world spun crazily, and her blood pounded in her ears.

The last thing she saw through the reinforced window of the pod before she blacked out was the transport levelling out as more escape pods launched. She couldn’t see any damage on the outside of the vessel, and there didn’t seem to be any smoke or fire.

Was it… was it all a trick?”

X X X

Weiss clutched at her arm and bit back a curse. She’d gotten careless back there. At least the blow wasn’t too deep, and it wasn’t to her sword arm either. Even so, Jihl would have had her hide for allowing a blow like that to land. Yet perhaps she was being too hard on herself. It wasn’t just carelessness. She was exhausted too.

For the past three hours, she’d been chased through the forest by a pack of Beowolves. It was well after dusk, so their superior night vision gave them a considerable advantage, as did their knowledge of the terrain. Weiss’s jaw clenched. She still didn’t know where she was.

This whole thing was a set up – it had to be. She’d blacked out during her escape pod’s descent and regained consciousness shortly before dusk. She’d forced the pod open, only to find herself in the middle of the forest. She’d been fortunate that she’d brought her weapon and some Dust with her into the pod – she’d hardly stepped out of it before she was set upon by a small group of Grimm.

She’d handled them easily enough although it had taken her longer than she expected. The Grimm here seemed tougher than the ones she’d faced during her training. Once she’d dealt with the Grimm, she’d scoured the pod for anything she could use. There was a small backpack containing a day’s worth of supplies and a key. But there was nothing in the backpack that the key fit.

Weiss had been tempted to stay put, but the arrival of more Grimm had forced her to abandon the pod. The Beowolves had attacked her as a group, forcing her into the woods and using their superior numbers to constantly flank her. She’d killed a few of them, but they’d changed their tactics to compensate: attacking from her blind spots and then retreating before she could retaliate.

It was almost admirable. These Grimm were very cunning. She’d been on the move for hours now, running and fighting, and she wasn’t stupid enough to miss how this was going to end. The Beowolves had realised that she was too dangerous to attack head on, so they were harrying her, whittling her down, and waiting for her to falter. She was going to tire eventually, and she couldn’t avoid sleeping forever. And each time she tried to turn the tables, they simply fell back, vanishing into the forest for a few moments. Oh, she’d gotten some of them, but there had to be at least a dozen more remaining.

Flicking some of the black Grimm blood off her blade, she pressed on, ripping off part of her skirt to make a rough bandage. She could remember the first time that Jihl had brought a Grimm to one of their training sessions. Weiss had frozen for a second before recovering in time to kill the beast. Then she’d thrown up, its black blood splattered all over her. Jihl hadn’t made a move to help her. Instead, the older woman had watched, waiting for Weiss to finish emptying her stomach before making her fight another Grimm.

Weiss had not been pleased about that lesson then, but she was happy for it now. 

If she wanted to live through this – and she had to believe there was a way for her to survive – she needed to do several things. First of all, she needed to either find shelter or get help. If she could find an ally, then they could take turns resting and sleeping. The Beowolves might even back off in the face of the added threat. Second, she needed to find out where she was. That might be impossible until daylight, but there had to be a hill or tall tree she could use as a vantage point. And third, she had to either find a way out of this forest or find a way to tell the outside world where she was. She’d tried using her Scroll, but she couldn’t get a signal.

Weiss stopped as a chorus of howls broke out around her. She’d misjudged the size of the pack. There were a lot more Beowolves than she’d thought. And now they finally had the confidence to go in for the kill.

She raised her rapier. “Come on then. What are you waiting for?”

The first Beowolf leapt straight at her from the front. She dismissed it almost at once. Its attack was too loud, too obvious. It was a distraction. She pivoted out of the way and thrust her blade into her blind spot. The strike caught another Beowolf in the throat mid-leap, and she wrenched her blade free as it crashed to the ground. A third Bewolf lunged, and she darted back before melting its skull with a blast of flame.

Her lips firmed into a thin line. She needed to be careful. Without all of her luggage, her supply of Dust was far more limited than she would have liked. The same applied to her aura. Until she found a safe place to rest, she had to be very careful about how much she used.

More Beowolves peeled out of the darkness around her. She took a second to assess the situation and then decided to run. There were too many of them. If she stood her ground, they would box her in. Eventually, one of them would land a lucky shot. But even as she ran, using the occasional Glpyh to speed her along, Weiss formed a plan.

She let the quickest of the Beowolves catch up to her before turning and dispatching it with a few precise blows of her weapon. Then she continued her retreat, repeating the process several more times as she darted between the trees. It was tempting to use her Semblance more extravagantly, but she didn’t want to draw even more attention to herself, nor did she want to risk running out of aura in a place like this.

Her retreat came to an abrupt halt as she came across a swiftly flowing river. She paused, considering what to do next, and was tackled by one of the Grimm. They tumbled into the river, and Weiss struggled to get her head above water. The beast lashed out with one claw, and she parried the blow. But the sheer force of the attack shoved her back underwater. Fighting off a surge of panic, she kicked her legs and propelled herself forward. Her rapier struck the Beowolf in the chest. It gave a howl of pain, and she stabbed it again. 

Black blood filled the water around her, and she fought her way back to the surface, coughing and spitting. The Beowolf slashed at her again, but its strength was gone. It sank under the water, and Weiss relaxed and waited for the river to slow down. Some time later, the river widened, and she dragged herself up a sandy riverbank. Hopefully, she’d lost the Beowolf pack. 

She made her way to a small clearing and searched the area for any Grimm. When she was certain that the area was safe, she stripped her wet clothes off and used some Dust to light a fire. The fire might expose her position, but she needed to get warm and dry. 

“What would you do in my position, Jihl?” Weiss murmured. She laughed softly. “You’d probably kill everything before finding your way out and killing the people responsible, which sounds like a good idea, now that I think about it.” 

Most of her clothes had dried out when Weiss heard a noise. She paused. Fighting in her underwear was less than ideal, but she couldn’t afford to get caught putting her dress on. That would take both hands and leave her virtually helpless. She tightened her hold on her rapier and listened. Whatever was coming this way didn’t sound like one of the Grimm. No, it sounded more like a person –

“Stop where you are!” Weiss shouted as someone stumbled into the clearing. There was a blur of motion, and she was tackled to the ground. Whoever it was had their face pressed against her shoulder. “What?”

Slowly, she relaxed as she realised that the person holding her was small, trembling, and quite possibly even more exhausted than she was. It took her a moment to push them back enough for her to get a closer look at them. It was Ruby – the girl from the transport – and she was holding onto Weiss for dear life.

“Ruby, was it?” Weiss winced. “Would you mind letting go and getting off me?”

The other girl pulled away. She scrubbed at her cheeks. Had she been crying? Weiss felt a pang of sympathy. Ruby looked so young, her silver eyes large and slightly red. Grimm blood was splattered on her hair and face. 

“Ruby?”

“I finally found someone else.” Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss again. “I was scared I was the only one.”

Weiss took a deep breath and patted the girl on the back. “Ruby, do you know what’s going on?”

X X X

Ruby tried to calm down as Weiss sat opposite her by the fire. Under normal circumstances, the fact that the other girl was only in her underwear would have had her blushing, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. Too much had happened in the last several hours.

The moment she’d stepped outside of her pod, she’d been attack by Grimm. She swallowed thickly. She’d fought Grimm before. But these Grimm were different – they were stronger, faster, and far more cunning. She was also still disoriented from blacking out in the pod. She’d killed the Grimm and then gone back into the pod to get her Scroll. She had to call for help – but she hadn’t been able to get a signal at all.

Inside the pod, she’d also found a locked box and a few supplies. Yet as night had fallen, it had dawned on her that maybe help wouldn’t be coming. They weren’t far from Beacon. Someone should already have come looking for them. And then more of the Grimm had arrived. She’d fought and run, wondering if Yang was also under attack. It would explain why Yang hadn’t found her, and she refused to believe that something bad had happened to her sister.

But as fast as she was, Ruby hadn’t been able to get away from the Grimm without a fight. They’d attacked her in waves, whittling her down and fighting with a single-minded viciousness that far exceeded anything she’d seen while at Signal. The Grimm here were truly monsters.

Despite her firm belief in her sister – Yang was tough – Ruby was already quite tired and increasingly worried when she finally spotted a faint glow amongst the trees. That had to be a fire! Maybe it was Yang. She ran as quickly as she could. It wasn’t Yang – it was Weiss. But after a whole night of running and fighting, Ruby was just glad to see someone else.

It was pretty embarrassing, in retrospect, but she couldn’t help it. She’d finally found another survivor from the crash. If Weiss had made it, then surely Yang had too.

“So,” Weiss said. “What were you doing before you decided to tackle me to the ground? You’re lucky I didn’t stab you.”

Now, Ruby did blush. “Uh, sorry about that. I was just so glad to see someone else and…”

Weiss frowned. “I can understand that, but you need to be more careful. What if I wasn’t someone safe, Ruby? There’s no one else out here. If I had been the wrong sort of person, who knows what could have happened? There are people out there who would murder you for the supplies in your backpack in a situation like this.”

“But –”

“Hard times can bring out the worst in people.” Weiss’s voice turned hard. “Some of my family’s bodyguards ran the last time the White Fang tried to assassinate my father. Treachery and cowardice are real things, Ruby, and you need to be careful. You were fortunate that it was me.”

Ruby winced. She knew that Weiss was right, but she didn’t have to be so blunt about it. “Look, I’ve been fighting Grimm all night, and I hadn’t seen anyone else. Besides,” she said, smiling. “I had a good feeling about you when I met you on the transport. You seem… nice.”

“Nice?” Weiss raised one eyebrow. “I can’t say that very many people have called me that before.” She sighed. “Still, I understand your relief. I must admit that I have also spent most of tonight fighting and running. It is… nice to have someone else around. But we have to take stock of what’s going on. Do you have a plan?”

Ruby had a feeling that Weiss already had a plan, but it couldn’t hurt to offer up her thoughts. And there was something about Weiss that made Ruby want to impress her. Maybe it was because of how elegant the older girl was, or maybe it was because of how calm and collected Weiss was. Whatever it was, Ruby wanted to make a good impression.

“Well, we’ve got to see who else we can find,” Ruby said, mind moving quickly. “The more people we have, the safer we should be. These Grimm are much more dangerous than the ones I’m used to.” 

“Indeed they are.” Weiss nodded. “Can you sense your sister at all? You two seem quite close, so you should be able to pick up her aura if she’s nearby.”

“We are very close.” Ruby frowned. “But I can’t sense her at all. Our pods must have landed pretty far apart. I guess we can always keep an eye out for explosions and fire – that’s usually the easiest way to find her.”

“Right…” Weiss shook her head in what Ruby assumed was a mixture of disbelief and disapproval. “She didn’t strike me as a particularly subtle person when she threatened to beat me up.”

“Oh, she does that to lots of people.” Ruby shrugged. “But anyway, once we find more people, we need to find a way out of here. A transport should be looking for us, so if we can find a way to signal our position…”

“A transport should be looking for us, but I’m not sure if one will be.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby pursed her lips. Someone had to be looking for them.

“Doesn’t all of this seem a bit convenient?” Weiss asked. “We know that Beacon is getting a new Professor of Advanced Combat and Tactics – a professor with a reputation for being somewhat extreme in her methods. Then you have the fact that our transport was full of first year students because all of the other transports supposedly suffered mechanical problems. And then the transport just happens to suffer engine failure? I don’t know what you saw on the way down, but before I passed out, I caught a glimpse of the plane. It didn’t look damaged, Ruby. “

“But…” Ruby bit her lip. “Then this was a set up? Why?”

“I think this is our initiation,” Weiss replied. “It would explain why no one has come looking for us and why I can’t get a signal on my scroll. They must be jamming all outgoing communications.” 

It sounded crazy, but Ruby had learned that life was often crazy. “Did you find something in your pod?” she asked. “I found a locked box. I tried opening it, but short of blowing it open with Crescent Rose, I don’t think I can.”

“I found a key in my pod,” Weiss replied.

“Really? Let’s try it.” Ruby dug through her backpack for the box. If Weiss was right and this whole thing was the initiation, then maybe they’d been put in the same cabin because they were going to be on the same team. It made sense, and if Weiss’s key opened the box that Ruby had, that would definitely suggest that they were supposed to be on the same team.

The key fit the lock perfectly.

“It’s a scroll.” Ruby tilted her head to one side. “Let’s turn it on.”

Lightning’s face appeared on the scroll, and she began to speak. Her voice was cool, almost cold. “If you are listening to this, then you have managed to locate one of your team members.”

“I was right. This whole thing was a set up.” Weiss growled.

“As you may have guessed, this was not an accident, and your transport was not actually damaged. This is your initiation. Your task is simple. You have three days to make it out of this forest. There will be no help or outside assistance. You may even be seriously harmed or killed if you fail to treat this situation seriously.

“In order to leave the forest, you must locate all four members of your group. Each of you carries something essential. One of you had the box this scroll came in. Another one of you had the key to open this box. The two remaining items are a map that will only activate in conjunction with this scroll and a transport beacon that will only activate when brought to the correct location in the presence of the other three items. Failure to complete this exercise in the allotted time may result in your expulsion from Beacon. Good luck.”

The message ended there.

“Wow.” Ruby scratched the back of their head. “They must really think highly of us to put us through something like this.”

“That’s one way to think about it.” Weiss sighed. “But you’re taking this awfully well.”

“Being on my own was the toughest part. I wasn’t sure if anyone else had made it out of what I thought was the crash. Now that I’ve found someone else and I know what to do, I can focus on finding my sister and Blake and getting out of here.”

“You seem confident that your sister and Blake are the other members of our team.”

“Who else would be?” Ruby smiled. “You said yourself that this was all a bit convenient. If this is the initiation test, I doubt they had us put in the same cabin by accident.”

“We didn’t exactly get along in the cabin,” Weiss replied.

“But you and I are getting along right now, aren’t we?” Ruby giggled at Weiss’s expression. She’d managed to surprise her. “Right?”

“I suppose we are.” Weiss glanced at the scroll. “Who carries that?”

“My Semblance is speed,” Ruby said. “I’m not easy to hit. I think I should carry it.”

“Speed?” Weiss nodded slowly. “I can make Glyphs, which do different things. If you are as fast as you think, then maybe…”

Ruby smirked and then vanished in a swirl of rose petals. She reappeared on the opposite side of the clearing an instant later. “I am that fast.”

“I see. Then I suppose you can carry it.” Weiss yawned. “Now that we’ve settled that, why don’t you get some sleep? I can take first watch.”

“Sure.” Ruby looked for a cosy spot to sleep. “Don’t wait too long before waking me up. You look pretty tired.”

“You’re very trusting,” Weiss said.

“Well, we’ve got to start trusting each other at some point if we’re going to be a team. Why not start now?”

“That is such a naïve thing to say.” Weiss’s lips twitched up into a smile. It was a very nice smile, Ruby thought. “Get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

X X X

Blake hid in the trees. This whole thing was a set up. She’d realised that the moment she woke up to find a data projector beside her in the pod that required a password to activate. She should have expected something like this. Beacon was for the best, and this test would give them a chance to prove that they deserved to be there.

So, she’d done what she had to do. She’d fought when necessary, but she’d done a lot of hiding too. There were far too many Grimm in this forest to fight off alone, but she’d spent years working on her stealth. She could blend into the shadows, climb a tree, and hide while she waited for dawn to come. In the morning, the Grimm would be less active, and she’d be able to look for the others. If this was a test, they couldn’t be that far away. 

She dozed off after setting a few tripwires and snares, and then awakened in the middle of the night. Her keen hearing could pick out the sounds of fighting, and she didn’t even need her excellent night vision to see the flashes of light from the forest nearby. She set off through the forest, leaping from tree to tree. As she neared the fighting, she created a clone and sent it ahead. If there were Grimm involved, it would draw their attention.

Blake had tried to get a read on the others on the transport. Yang and Ruby had been easy enough to understand. Ruby seemed to be a genuinely nice person who wanted to be a huntress to help people. It was almost painfully naïve, yet Blake couldn’t help but envy her. If only everyone in the world was like Ruby. Yang had come across as a thrill seeker – someone who would relish the thrill of battle. But the way she’d instinctively moved to protect Ruby when the alarms had sounded suggested there was more to her than that.

Weiss had been the hardest to read. Oh, she’d come across as a spoiled brat, and some of that was probably even her real self. But no one got calluses like Weiss had without years of hard work and practice. And the look in her eyes when Yang had threatened her… there was steel, real steel, in Weiss’s eyes. The heiress was wearing a mask – Blake was sure of it. She’d certainly spent enough years wearing a mask of her own to recognise when someone else was wearing one.

Yang stood at the centre of a clearing with gauntlets on her arms as she fought off a horde of Grimm. The blonde was bleeding in several places, but there was a maniacal smile on her face as she pummelled Grimm after Grimm with an impressive combination of strength, speed, and brutality. Blake took a few more seconds to take stock of the situation – Yang’s gauntlets appeared to be capable of shooting some kind of projectile and Blake would bet money that the blonde’s Semblance had something to do with the fire that dotted the clearing – before entering the fray.

She would strike from the shadows.

As Yang continued to draw the Grimm’s attention, Blake slipped in behind them, a swift, deadly shadow. Most of them died without even realising she was there. A few expertly placed strikes from Gambol Shroud were enough to deal with all but the toughest of them. Yang was clearly more of a brawler. Blake was an assassin.

Only after the Grimm were either dead or in full retreat did Blake step out into the open. She jumped out of the trees and made enough noise for Yang to hear her coming.

“Hey.” Yang waved and put one hand on her hip. “Thanks for the assist there. I’m guessing you were the one thinning them out.”

“You noticed me?” Blake hadn’t been trying too hard to evade Yang’s notice, but it was still impressive that the blonde had noticed her during the battle. “You fight well.”

“Thanks.”

“You do realise that this is a set up, right? I mean the crash and everything.” Blake shivered as Yang’s aura flared. The blonde was powerful.

“I know.” Yang hissed. “I saw the transport before I passed out. It wasn’t damaged at all, from what I could see.” She brought her fists together. “I’ve been looking for my sister all day, but I still haven’t found her.”

“You will. I have a feeling that the four of us – you, Ruby, Weiss, and I – are all supposed to be on the same team.”

“Wonderful. I get my sister, a stuck up heiress and a book-loving ninja.” Yang winced. “Just so you know, I totally meant that in a nice way.”

Blake’s lips twitched. “I see. About your sister… you’re worried about her, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. She’s my little sister.” Yang scowled. “I know that she can take care of herself, but these Grimm are tough. If something happens to her…” Yang moved toward the edge of the clearing. “I’m going to keep looking for her.”

“Wait.” Blake caught her by the arm and had to fight to keep from flinching when Yang glared at her. Her eyes, Blake noted, had changed colour. 

“I am not going to just sit here while sister is out there fighting and –”

“Yang, you can’t see in the dark, and the Grimm will have a much easier time getting you if you exhaust yourself.” Blake tightened her hold a fraction. “You should get some rest. I promise that I’ll help you look in the morning.”

“You will?” Yang pursed her lips. “Why are you being so nice?”

“You and your sister seem like good people.” Blake let go of Yang’s arm. “And if we are supposed to be teammates, we should help each other.”

“Is that all?”

Blake shivered as Yang’s gaze caught and held hers. “No,” she said softly. “I… I used to have someone who always looked after me, someone who was like a brother. If he was lost in a place like this, I know he’d come looking for me, and I know I’d go looking for him.”

“Fine.” Yang sighed. “But you better not be lying about helping me look for her.”

“I’m not.” Blake leapt up into one of the nearby trees and gestured for Yang to join her. “And if I’m right, we’ll need to find both her and Weiss if we want to get out of here.”

X X X

Yang woke up the next morning a little sore but refreshed. She wasn’t sure how Blake did it, but the other girl seemed perfectly comfortable sleeping in a tree. There was something almost cat-like about the way the brunette slunk out of her tree and landed on the ground without a sound. Yang followed Blake out of the tree, but her landing was far noisier.

“We’re going to look for Ruby.” Blake seemed nice, but Yang wasn’t going to take any chances. “Remember what you said.”

“I know, and we will. But do you have any idea of how you’re going to find her?”

“Well…” Yang trailed off. She couldn’t sense Ruby at all, so she had to be reasonably far away. “I was thinking… you found some supplies in your pod too, right?” Blake nodded. “But only enough for one day?” Another nod. Blake was quiet, wasn’t she? “Then Ruby probably only got enough supplies for one day too. If that were true, then she’d need to find water. If we can find a river or something, maybe we’ll find her there too.”

Blake tilted her head to one side and then nodded again. “That seems reasonable enough. Let’s go.”

Yang set a quick pace, and she wasn’t all that surprised to find Blake keeping up with her. The other girl seemed at home leaping from tree to tree. At some point, Yang relinquished the lead. Blake seemed to know where they were going, and it wasn’t long before they reached a river.

“How did you know it would be here?” Yang asked as they followed the river downstream. 

“A hunch,” Blake replied.

There were only a few Grimm active in the open, sunny area beside the river, so they upped their pace. The few Grimm they did encounter were dispatched quickly and with a minimum of fuss, which gave them – or rather Yang – time to talk. 

“So, what exactly did you do before all this?” Yang asked. “You got two great recommendations, so you must have been doing something interesting.”

Blake paused a fraction too long for Yang’s liking. “I was in private security.”

If that weren’t a euphemism for something else, then Yang would eat her scarf. “Right.” She shrugged. “I don’t mean to pry, but if I’m going to work with someone, I like to get to know them. You’re quiet and all, but you seem okay. I just… I can’t get a good read on you.”

“I’ve… lived an interesting life.” Something that could have been sadness flickered through Blake’s amber eyes so quickly that Yang couldn’t be sure if she’d really seen it. “That’s all.”

“I guess most of us have. I mean nobody gets into Beacon without having a few skeletons in their closet.” Yang turned to look at Blake. “The thing is… can I trust you, Blake? I’m not going to beat around the bush or anything like that. I just want to know. Can I trust you?”

Blake’s eyes widened. Slowly, she nodded. “Yes. You can trust me.”

“Good.” Yang was about to continue on when Blake called out.

“Stop!”

“What?”

The brunette darted over to a spot by the riverbank. “Weiss was here.”

“How can you tell?” Yang frowned. She couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary here except for some old Grimm tracks, but there were Grimm tracks all along the river.

“I can smell it.” Blake closed her eyes for a second. “She went into the river.”

“How can you know that? I can’t smell a thing.”

“My Semblance.” 

Blake had spoken quickly – too quickly for Yang’s liking. 

“Last night, you fought so well in the dark. I should know – that’s why I went into the clearing so I could see the Grimm better. Was that your Semblance too?”

“Yes.” Again, Blake spoke so quickly.

“Well, I guess we’re going to keep following the river then.” Yang made a face. “Knowing Ruby’s talent for finding trouble, she’s probably already spent the night being lectured by Weiss.”

Blake smiled. “That wouldn’t surprise me.”

They continued down the river until Blake picked up Weiss’s trail again. From there, they headed away from the river until they reached a small clearing. Even Yang could see the remains of an old campfire there.

“What is it?” Yang asked. “Did something else happen here?” 

“Ruby was here too. I can smell it.” Blake pointed off into the forest. “They went that way together.”

“Then let’s go.” Yang grinned. “I can’t believe I was right though. Do you think Weiss really spent all night lecturing her?”

Yang upped the pace until they stumbled across the ruined entrance to a large cave. Something big had broken through all the rock and stone. Her fists clenched. There was only one Grimm she could think of that was large enough to do that and lived in caves.

Her gaze drifted to the trail of destruction that led deeper into the forest. “Come on!”

She ran as fast as she could, Blake keeping pace before swinging off to the side, most likely to flank whatever they were about to run into. Yang activated her gauntlets and charged forward. A few seconds later, she came to the top of a small hill. Below her, fighting side-by-side, were Ruby and Weiss. Their opponent was a fully-grown death stalker.

“Hey, you!” Yang roared as she leapt off the hill, her Semblance searing the air around her. “Get the hell away from my sister!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do not own RWBY. I’m not making any money off of this either.
> 
> So, yeah, it’s been a while. I won’t bother going into all the horrible details of why this update has been so long in coming, I’ll just say that this story isn’t dead.
> 
> Anyway, I decided to switch things around for their initiation. It should be clear from the previous chapters that Lightning is intent on doing things her way. Ozpin has asked her to make them the best huntsmen and huntresses possible, and she doesn’t believe that can be done by coddling them. Instead, she plans to forge them into teams in the fire of battle.
> 
> The whole transport crash was staged, and the people in each cabin were the groups that Beacon planned. The pods were likewise programmed to land away from each other, forcing each team member to not only survive on their own for a while but also find and cooperate with the others. Naturally, I decided to have Ruby run into Weiss while Yang ran into Blake. As for Ruby’s reaction to seeing Weiss – as skilled as she is, Ruby is still younger than the others, and this is the first time she’s really been thrown into this sort of situation: alone, disoriented, and completely unprepared. As you can see, however, once she meets Weiss, she gets her wits about her pretty quickly.
> 
> So that’s the state of affairs so far. What’s happening to Team JNPR? How is Team RWBY going to get along? Which Final Fantasy (not just XIII) character will appear next? Stay tuned and find out! Sorry, I’ve always wanted to write that.
> 
> I also write original fiction, mostly fantasy. You can find links to it in my profile. If you’re looking for something fun to read, try Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, or, if you want something more serious, try The Last Huntress.
> 
> As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


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